Sunday, May 01, 2011

Mariachi Acoustic Bass and Controversy at the Cameron House

Mariachi! (Acoustic Bass)

7x9 inches, acrylic on board, framed

$80.00

Here's some news from Kevin Quain in regards to an incident last Sunday at the Cameron House, I have no opinion on the matter, as I wasn't there, but I thought you may enjoy reading an account of what happened.You can find other links and updates about the incident on the internet, normally, I'd post them but I've got alot on my plate right now.

This past Monday April 25th, Alex Hindmarch, a DJ at Q107, went on the air and offered listeners $107 to show up at the Cameron House this coming Sunday May 1st, to disrupt my band's performance by shouting out his name. He attended our show the previous night, and although he said he enjoyed it, he was offended at being asked to put money in the jar that is passed around to collect wages for the band. He declined to do so. He was also offended that his party was asked to be quiet, or to move to the back room. They declined to do that as well.

Our audience appreciates a quiet room and our attempt to provide that shouldn’t have come as a great surprise. When they entered the Cameron, they passed by four signs that said the following in bold lettering: "You are cordially invited to attend our show in the front lounge, from 9:00pm to Midnight. Out of respect for your fellow patrons, those not attending the show are invited to enjoy the comfort of the historic back room. Your consideration is greatly appreciated." And just to make this expectation even clearer, each member of his party received show programs that contain the same text in bold lettering on the front. The entire audience shouted at them to be quiet, but they insisted on staying and continued to disturb the audience until the end of the set

You may well ask what kind of person would stay in a room knowing they were disturbing everyone else there. I wish I had an answer. But such people exist and they do show on up Sundays from time to time. We make the best of it, and sometimes all we can do is laugh and include them in the show. Which sometimes makes them angry.

Which brings us again to Alex Hindmarch. I play music for a living, sometimes literally for nickels and dimes. I mention this not to elicit sympathy or complain about my chosen profession; on the contrary, I love what I do and I'm committed to it. But I wonder: do I really need to be taken down a peg by Mr. Hindmarch, and more importantly, by a communications corporation, because I asked for a bit of quiet to make some music? I don't mind someone giving me a bad review. I am pretty awful sometimes. And I don’t mind someone suggesting that I'm a disagreeable individual (which I most certainly am nearly all the time). But the idea that Corus Entertainment would encourage and underwrite the disruption of a performance by an indie band who have plied their trade for 16 years in a small 60-seat family-owned venue, seems a bit unfair. If Mr. Hindmarch's use of the airwaves strikes you as odd, unfair or a bit mean-spirited, I do encourage you to share your thoughts with Corus Entertainment. Ask them to what extent this person's actions reflect their core values. It's important to let the parent company know what their "brands" are up to. I would also encourage you to get in touch with Q107 directly and ask them for clarification on Alex Hindmarch's "contest"? Contact information is provided below.

One final thought: if our show is going to be interrupted, why don't we hold him to his word* and shout his name next Sunday, count heads, and ask that he write a cheque (potentially for thousands of dollars) to Sick Kids Hospital? It's a thought.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope to see you somewhere, sometime soon.